SYNTHESIS OF NOVEL POLYMERIC MATERIALS BASED ON ALIPHATIC POLYESTERS BY COMBINATION OF DIFFERENT CONTROLLED POLYMERIZATION METHODS

Combination of the living ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of epsilon -CL and lactides with the ''controlled'' free radical polymerization o f styrene and methacrylic monomers is a versatile strategy for the syn thesis of well-defined block and graft copolymers. In this respect, th e dual ''living'' polymerization strategy in which two different funct ional groups on a single molecule used to initiate the two controlled mechanisms is particularly efficient. Combination of ROP and step-grow th polymerization is another versatile methodology for the preparation of a large variety of new materials, e.g. polyimide nanofoams, polyes ter/silica hybrid materials and star and branched polyesters by dendri tic initiation.